Gestational caffeine modifies offspring behaviour in mice.
Dams from two strains of mice, BALB/c C57BR were tested during gestation with caffeine, at doses of about 60, 80 and 100 mg/kg/day, in their drinking water. The resulting offspring were behaviourally tested over a 6-month period commencing at age 9 months. When compared with controls, mice from dams that had received caffeine demonstrated longer latencies in a passive avoidance test, and differences were also noted for female C57BR offspring in activity and habituation measures. Having controlled as far as possible for post-natal maternal and environmental effects, the most likely conclusion is that caffeine has a direct pharmacological action on the foetus, and should therefore be classed as a behavioural teratogen in mice.
D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D002110:Caffeine / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003913:Dextroamphetamine / Q000009:adverse effects; D004298:Dopamine / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D011930:Reaction Time; D012737:Sex Factors
D002110:Caffeine; D003913:Dextroamphetamine; D004298:Dopamine